(The Sheriff's men)

I am summonsed to the Sheriff's quarters

where I dutifully await my orders,

probably regarding tax defaulters

or outlaws and the like,

This time however I'm mistaken,

for it seems a traitor must be taken,

before his household can awaken

and mount a counter strike,

My orders say that on this day

Sir Howard must be seized again,

and tortured till no doubt remains

of poor Sir Howard's guilt,

I do not question, I obey,

for I am a soldier and have no say,

over who might live and who be slain

upon my masters will,

But was Sir Howard not accused before

and then released by Richards law?

before the King returned to war

and set sail from our land.

It would seem Sir Howard's fate again,

has like the cursed seasons changed,

and Prince John's hatred yet remains,

thus he issues this command.

And of course the Sheriff will obey

and send us out like birds of prey

with orders to arrest or slay

this traitor on the morrow,

as for me, I'd pledged my oath

to Prince John and the Sheriff both,

to them my honour I betrothed,

too late now for feeling sorrow,

Though secretly and deep inside

I feel no pleasure and no pride,

for those poor souls I've brushed aside

on just my master's whim,

in truth I wish that I could choose,

who to obey, who to refuse,

but to my oath I must be true ,

and I gave my oath to them.

Thus here I ride with both my masters,

all spurring our steeds ever faster,

over hill and dale, crop and pasture,

ever on towards our prey,

like a pack of wolves, in dead of night,

we charge toward the morning light,

where Sir Howard surrenders without a fight,

and we carry him away,

Upon a horse as old as he,

he's trussed at ankle, wrist and knee,

and surrounded by a company

of well trained Sheriff's men,

then riding till the days last light,

before stopping to make camp for the night,

I ensure our prisoners bonds are tight,

but comfortable and then,

I settle down to get some sleep,

my broad-sword laid in easy reach,

and listen to the night-owls screech

as into my dreams I go,

In dreams I see my family,

that died of plague when I was three

and are but vague memories to me,

as I toss there to and froe,

But my slumber is disturbed by sounds,

of breaking twigs and up I bound

just as our sentry hits the ground

with an arrow in his chest.

My men arise as fast as I

prepared to stand and fight or die,

at the breaking twigs and sentry's cry,

we stood there three abreast,

Then on the outlaws surged like flies,

an endless stream from every side,

where on, the Sheriff and the Prince took flight,

as we met their attack,

a half an hour of hook and slice,

in which I felt the feel of cold steel twice,

and am lucky yet to be alive,

I believe that to be a fact,

The outlaws set Sir Howard free,

who with sword in hand  fought fearlessly,

with many of my men and he

commanded our respect,

But I'm a soldier, I obey,

he can not go free, till Prince John says,

and that I feel, is not today,

nor any I suspect,

For Prince John has twice made his decree

that our prisoner will bend his knee

before the axe man's block and he

will taste the sting of death,

But courage brings it's own reward

and Sir Howard's prowess with a sword,

though old and frail and almost bald,

would deny Prince John's request,

As I fought, an outlaw bared his breast

and allowed my sword to pierce his chest,

smiling as his lifeblood ebbed,

into the forest floor,

his life was gone yet still he smiled,

I stood in awe and watched him while,

the battle ragged around me wild,

as fierce as any war,

But there were too many to defeat,

we had no option but retreat,

we did so, no more than fifty feet,

and they let us slip away,

then as we turned to check our path was clear,

the outlaws all but disappeared,

the woods where they had been was clear,

save for those who had been slain,

On their return, our masters both,

cursed me, my men and all out oaths,

as the worst cowards they had ever thrown

at Robin in the hood,

yet no-one mentioned, at the height,

of the fray, at dead of night,

how both of them had taken flight,

and hidden in the woods,

for Prince John's power is supreme,

and the Sheriff is his friend it seems,

though neither one knows what it means,

to truly have a friend,

If either of these men should think

that the others armour had a chink,

there's no depths to which they would not sink,

to bring him to his end.

By S.E.Ralph

8-6-2013